


If I could begin to do, something that does right by you

by Star_Renegade



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Except I don't know how to write that oops, Gen, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:20:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29282880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Renegade/pseuds/Star_Renegade
Summary: Needless to say, she felt weighted, and she couldn't pinpoint why.Maybe it was the sinking fear in her heart that she couldn't fit into the family again. Maybe it was the Earth gravity, reminding her of how long she was gone. Maybe it was the metal leg, that she may always and never get used to at the same time. Maybe it was her hair, that she didn't dare cut for years because she was too scared of her own reflection.Maybe it was all of it.She tried not to think about it.But as Della stepped out of her boys' bedroom after telling them what she believed to be a pretty thrilling tale of her heroics, she could only focus on the hair part.Or: On her first night back on Earth, Della gets a haircut.
Relationships: Della Duck & Dewey Duck & Huey Duck & Louie Duck
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	If I could begin to do, something that does right by you

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna try and a bit more this year! Being stuck at home last year gave me a ton of ideas for fics, and I hope I get to write most (or all!) of them soon enough.
> 
> Anyway, Della is one of my favourite characters in the show, so I obviously had to write a thing or two about her. 
> 
> This fic was also inspired by the short comic by ilee-font on Tumblr! You can check it out here: https://ilee-font.tumblr.com/post/612844029919510528

Della was tired. 

Really tired. 

Which was understandable. If you'd crash landed back on Earth after being stuck on the moon for a decade, you'd be tired too.

She had fun connecting with her boys (and Webby too), if only she could stop thinking about the fact that they grew up since she last saw the eggs and turned out just fine. Without her. 

Needless to say, she felt weighted, and she couldn't pinpoint why. 

Maybe it was the sinking fear in her heart that she couldn't fit into the family again. Maybe it was the Earth gravity, reminding her of how long she was gone. Maybe it was the metal leg, that she may always and never get used to at the same time. Maybe it was her hair, that she didn't dare cut for years because she was too scared of her own reflection. 

Maybe it was all of it.

She tried not to think about it.

But as Della stepped out of her boys' bedroom after telling them what she believed to be a pretty thrilling tale of her heroics, she could only focus on the hair part. 

She could feel the mass of it on her back, she didn't need to see it to know how messy it was, she didn't remember packing a hairbrush when she hopped into that rocket anyway.

Della wasn't stupid, she knew she couldn't do it blind. (She'd already learnt _that_ lesson after chopping a chunk of her hair off because she saw it in a movie once).

So here she was, standing in front of the spare bathroom mirror which was currently covered up, scissors in hand.

"It's alright Della, just breathe. It's only for a few minutes." 

She reached for the cloth. She paused.

She couldn't do it. 

She didn't want to see her reflection. Not now, not ever if she could help it.

Della practically ran back to the boys' bedroom. She calmed herself with deep breaths, inhaling the cool earth air of the night, then slowly opening the door.

"Hey kids," Della whispered into the room. "Are you still up?" 

She was met with three overly enthusiastic nods. 

"Okay, great. Do any of you boys know how to cut hair by any chance?" 

"Dewey." The red and green triplet responded almost instantaneously (she'd have to remember their names soon enough). Dewey took this as his cue to step outside with his mom, leaving Huey and Louie alone with each other, scooting closer and holding on to one another as if they were afraid something would jump out at them.

Della wondered what that was about.

Dewey led her down the staircase and into the kitchen, where he quickly ran out for a moment and returned with arms full of old newspaper. 

He quickly got to work spreading them out on the kitchen floor, then brought out a stool, which he gestured Della towards. 

Grabbing the scissors that Della had left on the kitchen table, he quickly got to work on his mother's hair. The usually loud duck was quiet with concentration, eyebrows furrowed and his tongue slightly poking out. Della knew that even though she didn't know her son for long, she knew that he wasn't usually so quiet and focused, a little bit like her in that way, she realised.

Soon, he was done, and Della didn't even need to look in the mirror to tell that it was pretty messy work. The shorter parts were tickling her neck and her hair just felt really… off overall. 

But she knew how hard her son worked on it, so she mustered up a "thanks, kiddo" and patted his head as he beamed with pride. 

After Dewey headed back upstairs, Della started to clean up the mess in the kitchen when Mrs. Beakley walked in. 

"Let me guess,you asked Dewey to cut your hair." 

"The blue one? Yeah." Della replied, still sweeping up the mess.

"Sit down dear," the housekeeper said, picking up the scissors "I'll clean it up for you." 

"Alright, thanks." Della mumbled as she sat back down. 

Beakley mostly worked in silence and didn't take as long as Dewey did, which the younger duck appreciated, she really didn't feel like talking this late in the night. 

"Alright, would like to see how it looks?" She asked, looking around for a reflective surface.

"NO!" Della shouted. Beakley took a small step back.

"Ugh, sorry. I mean, no. I trust you, I'm sure it looks great, thanks." Della apologised, as she quickly made her way out of the kitchen.

"Della." Mrs. Beakley started in a firm yet kind voice. Della found herself stopping halfway in her tracks and turning back round.

"I know it must be hard, adjusting to your life back on earth after being gone for a long time. If you ever need to talk about whatever you're going through, I'll be here to listen." 

"Wow. Um, thanks Mrs. B, but I'm fine, really. Nothing can stop Della Duck, am I right or am I right?" Della said.

"I'm just saying, there's no shame in asking for help." Mrs. Beakley asked, clearly getting her to open up.

"I know, I know. But seriously, I'm _fine_! There's no need to worry so much." Della replied, waving her arm nonchalantly

Beakley clearly wasn't satisfied with that answer, but it wasn't like she could force Della to open up if she didn't want to.

"Alright. If you're sure you're fine-" 

"I am"

"Then you should really get to bed now. Something tells me you'll have a long day bonding with your boys tomorrow." 

"Ugh, fine _mom_." Della said, playfully rolling her eyes despite how tired she was. "You are right though, we're gonna have so much fun tomorrow!" 

"Goodnight, Della." 

"Night Mrs. B!" And with a playful salute, she sauntered out of the room. 

Now it was Mrs. Beakley's turn to roll her eyes, and as she cleaned up the hair on the floor, she realised how much she missed the duck's presence in the manor. And she knew she wasn't the only one. 

_____________

As soon as Della made it to her bedroom (which right now was currently one of the many spare rooms in the mansion), she suddenly felt much lighter than she had in years, which was ironic, since her weight was much lower on the moon. 

She did feel lonely in the room though. She missed Donald's presence, but he really did earn that vacation though, what with taking care of her kids for 11 years and all. 

That made her a little jealous honestly, that her sons had a stronger connection to their uncle than their own mother. 

But she only had herself to blame anyway.

That was her last thought as she slowly drifted off into sleep, ignoring the pale moonlight that seemed to make the whole room glow.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated! Follow me on Tumblr at diversefandompage


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